APC Overturns Plateau Reps Primary, Hands Victory to Gagdi After ‘Unauthorised’ Result

In a dramatic twist, the All Progressives Congress (APC) has annulled the earlier result of its House of Representatives primary election for Plateau State’s Pankshin/Kanke/Kanam Federal Constituency and declared incumbent lawmaker Yusuf Gagdi the rightful winner.

The reversal was announced on Monday at the APC state secretariat in Jos by Stella Okotete, Chairperson of the APC Plateau State Primaries Electoral Committee.

She dismissed the previous result which had named Dr. John Tongshinen as the winner as “unauthorised,” stressing that only the officially appointed returning officer had the authority to declare results.

According to the initial announcement made on Sunday by one Monday Daspan, Tongshinen had polled 29,968 votes against Gagdi’s 5,849 votes.

Daspan claimed the exercise was observed by INEC officials and security personnel. However, Okotete insisted that Daspan lacked the mandate to make any declaration.

Following the clarification, the authentic returning officer, Nandom Kura, officially declared Yusuf Gagdi currently the Chairman of the House Committee on Navy as the winner of the primary held on Saturday.

Gagdi, who had rejected the earlier result, told journalists at his Jos residence that the election was properly conducted across all 36 wards, with evidence including accreditation records, videos, and photographs.

He described the Daspan announcement as “fraudulent” and void under party guidelines.

The new declaration sparked immediate jubilation across parts of Kanam and Pankshin, setting the stage for a heated contest ahead of the 2027 general elections.